Self-conforming, surface-gripping, ready-made knitted slip cover for overstuffed upholstered furniture



DCC 16, 1941. J. A. KRAsNov E-rAL 2,266,678

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COVER FOR OV Filed July 3, 1941 6 Shahets-Sheet l J. A. KRAsNov Vrs1-Ax. 2,266,678 SURFACE-GRIPPING, READY-MADE KNITTED SLIP COVER FOR OVEHSTUFFED UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed July 3, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 SELF-CONFORMING,

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2,266,678 GRIPPING, READY-MADE KNITTED SLIP URE Dec. 16, 1941- .1. A. KRAsNov ET AL SELF-CONFORMING, SURFACE; COVER FOR OVERSTUFFED UPHLSTERED FURNIT Filed July 3, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVN/T ORS J'os ra' nac Dec. 16, 1941. 1 A KRASNQV ETAL 2,266,678 sELF-CONFORMING, SURFACE-GRIPPING, READY-MADE KNITTED SLIP COVER FOR OVERSTUFFED UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed July 5, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 DCC. 16, 1941- J. A. KRAsNov ETAL 2,266,678 SELF-CONFORMING, SURFACE-GRIFFING, READY-MADE KNITTED SLIP COVER FOR OVERSTUFFED UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE n Filed July 3, 1941 G'Sheet/s-Sheet 6 J k ol) BY 6j IJ mffuws Patented Dec. 16, 1941 SELF-CONFORMING, SUBFAC'E-GBIPPING, READY-MADE KNITTED SLIP COVER FOB OVEBSTUFFED UPHOLSTEBED FURNI- TUBE Joseph A. Krasnov, Philadelphia, and'Max M.

Knller, Allentown, Pa., Products Company, Darby, Pa., a eel-.partnership composed of Jmph A. Krssnov and Samnel Krasnov assignors to Bure-Fit Application July 3, 1941, Serial No. 400,938

12 Claims. (Cl. 661'l0) The present invention relates to a new lanrl useful slip cover for overstuffed upholstered furniture, and relates more particularly to a readymade knitted slip-cover, which will have not only the stretchability of an ordinary knitted slip cover such 'as that of United States Patent No. 2,100,868, but which will grip the surface and better conform to the shape of the overstuffed upholstered furniture, by virtue of a certain peculiar construction of the fabric panels of which the slip-cover is composed, whereby the tendency of the slip-cover to shift on the furniture is much reduced, so that a more perfect t and appearance is obtained, coupled with a greater adjustability of the slip-cover (to varying sizes and shapes of overstuffed furniture) than has been obtainable heretofore by such construction as that of United States Patent No. 2,100,868.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear more fully from the following description and accompanying drawings, the present invention consists of a ready-made knitted slipcover for overstuffed upholstered furniture, composed of knitted fabric panels and sections Aformed of a soft knitted cotton base which is stretchable and whose threads and loops do not have a hard but instead a soft and more or less fuzzy thread surface, and covered-rubber threads inter-knitted with the cotton threads and extending through the fabric in such a way as to pull and contract the fabric in two directions generally transversely of each other, thereby drawing the fabric together into a series of pocket-like formations whichwhen partly stretched'over an overstuffed upholstered furniture, will cause the slip-cover panels to get a firmer grip upon, or better to hug the surface of the furniture and thus prevent slipping or sliding of the slip-cover over the furniture.

The present invention further consists of other novel features and details of construction, all of which will appear more fully from the following description and accompanying drawings vand the appended claims. ,y

For the purpose of illustrating lthe invention,

there is shown in the accompanying drawings aV form thereof which is at presentk preferred, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the inventin is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

v In ,the accompanying drawings, in which like I reference characters indicate parts,

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of ,a ready-made knitted slip-cover embodying the present invention shown as applied to an overstuifed armchair.

' thereof.

Figure 7.

Figure 3 represents a fragmentary portion of the under surface of the fabric panels composing the knitted slip-cover of the present invention. in one `embodiment thereof;-shown approximately ons. full-size scale.

Figure 4 represents a fragmentary portion of the outer surface of the fabric panels composing the knitted slip-cover of the present invention,

in one embodiment thereof, namely, the embodiment of which Figure 3 shows the opposite surface:shown approximately on a full-size scale.

Figure 5 represents a plan view of the fabric structure viewed from the outer surface. namely, the surface shown in Figure 4, but shown on a much enlarged scale, namely, a scale of approximately ten or fourteen times actual size. and shown more or less schematically, insofar as the thread formations are shown as they would appear if the fabric were stretched out completely, in both directions. so as to better show the interlacings of the cotton and covered-rubber threads;--the courses extending parallel to the greater dimension of this ligure, and the wales extending parallel to the smaller dimension of this figure (this figure rrepresenting the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 6 represents a plan view of the fabric structure viewed from the inner surface. namely,

the' surface shown in Figure 3, but shown on a i much enlarged scale, namely. a scale of approximately ten to fourteen times actual size. and

shown more or less schematically, insofar as` the n w'terlacings of the cotton and covered-rubber this ngure (this ligure representingvthe embodimentshown in Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 'I represents a perspective view of the slip-cover. similar to that shown in Figure i, but with 'the seam lines shown. Figure 8 represents a perspective view of a detachable skirt which is shown in and applied 'in tively, of Figure 7.

Many attempts have been' made to obtain a 10 self-conforming ready-made slip-cover for overstui'fed upholstered furniture, which will nt an upholstered armchair, for instance, with come latitude as to shape, contour and dimensions of the chair. U. S. Patents 2,100,868, 2,212,485 and 2,098,684 represent some of these efforts. These and other past efforts have still left something to be desired in the final appearance and effectiveness of ready-made slip-covers, particularly in respect to their ability to "stay put on the upholstered furniture, while the furniture is being actively used.

We have found that by forming the surface of the fabric panels of a ready-made knitted slipcover (particularly those fabric panels moet sub ject to be shifted and pulled and dislodged when the upholstered furniture encased in such slip-I cover is in active use) with a multiplicity of selfcontracting pocketdike formations, which therefore present. at once, a reduced contact area be= ."z'o tween the slip-cover panels and the original surface of the upholstered furniture and at the same time tendtogrip orhugtheoriginalsurfaceof the upholstered furniture, the slip-cover better remains put on the upholstered furniture against the normal tendency to shift and pull and dislodge the slip-cover by sitting upon it, or leaning on the arms, or getting up from the chair or otherwise applying dislodging forces to the slipcover.

We have found that by a vcombination cf a relatively soft knitted cotton base, and covered rubber threads interknitted therewith at suitable intervals and so intermitted with the soft knitted cotton threads as to contract the fabric in two directions, a surface-gripping effect is at tained which is highly effective to keep the slip# cover in place and which also materially increases the range of size and shape variations, in the upholstered furniture piece, which the same y slip-cover cansatisfaotorily and adequately "iit without any special or individual adjustment (as by taking in or letting out a scam or two) of the ready-madel slip-cover.

Moreover, by the present invention the panels of the ready-made slip-cover which lit over con cave surfac of the upholstered iiuoiture, as, for instance, the outer surfaces of 'the arms which are undercut or ooncaved, tend to enter the com cavity and tend better to conform to the concave tion of the furniuire.

' In carrying out the present invention ive may .form the iabric panels of knitted fabric that shown inFigures 3, s, E and o, which may be made either on e not knitting nio-chine or a cirn c@ cular knitting machina-preferably the latter.7 Thus, for instance we may forro 'the fabric on multi-fced circuler latch-needle type knitting oi suitably large district-ei, as, for in stance, a circular knitting machine containing 7o '1,0% needles in the cylinder thereof und having a multiplicity ci feeds, for 23 or 32 feeds for feeding yum to the needles. A has.m 'chine .suitable ior purpose is the "Supreme" circular Emitting machine made by Supreme 75 Knitting Machine Company of Brooklyn, New York;although any other equivalent or suitable knitting machine may be used.

Every sixth or seventh yarn feed is fed or supplied with a covered-rubber thread, while the rest of the yarn-feeds are fed or supplied with soft-twisted cotton or mercerized cotton threads. In this manner every sixth or seventh or so course is knitted of the covered-rubber yarn. Tous, for instance, on a 32-feed circular knitting machine, 28 of the feeds may be used, with every seventh feed supplied with a covered-rubber yarn or strand and the intervening six feeds (that is, those between two successive rubber feeds) supplied with a soft low-twist cotton -Zvarn or mercerized cotton yarn. Similarly, if every sixth feed is to be rubber, 30 ofthe feeds may be used: ilve feeds rubber and twenty-live feeds cotton; with five cotton feeds intervening successive ber feeds. l

In the schematic views of Figures 5 i5, we have illustrated a sevemtowone cotton and rubber course arrangement, in which every seventh course is knitted of covered-rubber yarn it, while the intervening courses'are ci cota ton yarns l2.

As will be seen from Figures 5 and 3, every mth needle is caused to remain in an incoar ative position at the cotton feeds, but to remain operative at the rubber feeds. In this manner. the six cotton threads l2 forming the six succes sive courses intervening to successive rubber courses, are caused to float across and within the rubber loops i3, as for instance at i4. After each rubber course, the needles rendered'tnactive or inoperative at the cotton feeding points, are staggeredl in relation to each other as shown clearly in Figures 5 and 8; This causes certain areas to be bounded on all sides by rubber, as showninFigures5and6,soa stocausetherub ber in the fabric to contract the fabric in two directions, that is in a direction parallel to the courses and in a direction at right angle to the courses. This 2way contraction of the fabric causes Docket-like formations to be formed, each pocket being bounded by rubber, as indicated particularly in Figures 3 and 4;-with the ridges I5, separating the pockets i0, serving as reduced contact areas between the fabric els ci 'the slip-cover and the original fabric surface of the upholstered furniture. In the alternative, the surface shown in Figure d may be as the contact surface, as this also presente reduced contact areasgthe contact areas here however the convex protuberances shown in Figure 4.

The main slipwcover is formed ci four sections or four pieces of fabric, one forming the hach-encaslng portion i8, the cther'ierrning the seat and front portion it and the other two forming the left and right ermL-cncasing side portions 2l 'and 2i respectively. Each of the sections ig, 20, 2i is formed by folding the fabric back upon itself to form a pocketmlikc upper por" tion with the outer portion entendi g further down to encase the corresponding vertical side oi' the upholstered furniture. Thus, the backencasing portion i3 is formed by folding a piece of fabric inte reci und front panels 22 and 23, respectivcly;-vrlth the rear panel 22 extending to the lower edge line 2d oi the furniture and extending beneath the furniture in the forro of a cecureincnt tub The side members 20 and 2i, are likewise formed by folding a piece of the fabric into a pocket-like formation, closed et the The iront endireer panels 22 23 of the' betekening portion i8 ere seemed along the versl sidesesms 32 and S3, while the side members 2B end 2l are seemed along the front vertical :o: 34 and $5, respectively, and possibh' also along short upper horizontal seams $6 and 3l, respectively, particularly where the front ends oi the v= come to a more or less abrupt from the roed upper corners of the back as shown in the drawings). e iront end seat portion i9 includes the swt cls@ sind the front panel St which also elk ent isb to. The four @we i5. I9, 2 2li src then united along the seem edges til-e und ttl-b, c-c end dt-sb, @iQ-c and d, :lits-e l-b, -c d ii, @i sind iii-o, ill-qs mi tin-b, -tr @sw-, t und ith-b, @ii-e end il und i-o r on iib, to formi-.he inter-sectional si, 52, d3, dfi, ce, Qt, fil, du, t9, t@ ond 6i (shown in Because of the relstively soit charecter oi the basic ebric und Ithe 2-way contraction thereof, and the formation o! the series of concsvities on one side a convex protuberances on the other side, the m, are 17,12;- obliterated or rendered considerably obscure in the :u product;the seams being formed by overa lock stitch which gathers the two adjacent edges, which gathered edges nre formed on the inside of the slip-cover, where they are not visible.

Tubulsr heme El?, 53, M und B are provided nlong;a the inner edges of the securement tabs 2S, su, ii

t may be formed of s separatepiece of woven fabric `such es n piece oi strong woven cotton iabric, sewn to the edge of the 'Hi-ent tabs.Y Through these tu heme a draw-string or cord t is wn, in series, which can then Abe drawn together or tied at one point, as for instance et Si, in order to pull the secureinent tube firmly wsether as indicated in Figure 2;- the securement tabs being ciently narrowed inst to cleer the legs Si, 5S, il@ und 8i of the iurniture. v

i detnchshle shirt' 82 may also be pf v in the form of s continuous piece of fsbrlc. shirred clone im upper rn insi none, and prefer only sewn to or bound by si upper c; .1, eiustic d or corti @t which will csuse itto hug the portion of the furniture, iust shove the iower edge 2e oi the furniture to give s inished eect.

The cinhion @il is toed completely to encsse the separable on of the upholstered furniture with e suitsble opening @I in the rear through which the furniture cushion may be inse;the con ce. being seamed along down to the bottom e 2t oli the inrniv uw where it is folded inwardly to iorm a se' men portion oi the co-rur ii,

eo the inw bmi core "il de, which moy formed ci the e fabric ss ci which the slip-cover is formed, or

5s the front thereof, and allslack in the l tion is shown, it is to be understood that this may be varied both dimenslonally and otherwise. Thus, for instance instead of rendering inactive every sixth needle at the cotton feed portions 5 (or when the cotton feed reaches it), every mth or seventh (or so) needle may be rendered inactive at this cycle of operation. The feature oi.' our construction is that the i course, interspersed at suitable intervals, is

l0 caused to stretch across the several interv courses non-elastic yarn, to contract the lrubric also transversely of the courses, or Wale-wise;- with the Wale-wise contracting rubber loops (extending between successive rubber courses) g l5 staggered.

By the present invention, the resultant r made slip-cover not only contro.;r more my and with greater fidelity to the v contour ol the upholstered furniture, but the ls ot 20 the slipwcover tend to grip or hug the suriace,

of the upholstered furniture und resist ment orshifting ot the slip-cover the furniture, we in act use. Y

n fr E, we have 0n a Still further enlarged Y L them.. trai rubber core portion thereof, the two 'oppositely wound outer cot l'OnWlPPmB '1 i@ dllwhlch distance 'll below the levelor line ll of the seat 1I o t the chair or davenport or sois. i The seatpan'el 3l is made similarly "full" in the ...if i ofitsrearedgeIl-bandofitssideedses-a and '4L-u, that is,.these edge cones are also ex'- 40 tended asuitable distance 'I8 beyond the com spending horizontal dimensions oi the seat 1| o1 the chair, davenport or sofa. The inter-sectional vseinnsllandllureaccordinglyextensible'' downwardly between the seat 'I5 and the bock Il and arms il' and 1l. respectively, as shown morepsrticularly in i1 and 12.- By tuck-f ving the excess material Il inthe marsinslnpncs adjacent the seams II. 40 and Il, between the xmandndesurms numana, 'f ooftheseat llandthecloselyadiscentinnersur faces B2, 83 and il' of the back and Arms it, il and i8, respectively, the s1ipcover can be drown and maintained taut over the bock and over the of the chair, davenport or sofa. and over portions oi the fabric panels can thus be taken up.

By n oi the surface fotions om tractions of the fabric l .iz ot the slip-cover, ,m9 wcm-n POB'ODS 13 tend "i 'E0 um "in Along the lower edges o! the slipcover, intermediate the tubular hema 53, 58, 5i

oo in place. in actual use.-

, and 5B, rubber or rubber-con or other elsetic tapes, band, or cords l! are aillxed, as by ovenlock stitches, or the like, thereby co a t,

'tic encirclement o! each of the sa, et

and Il, and any slight slack in is, is A further taken up.

The covered elastic or be T0 formed with a cord of other elastic materials,

that is other than natural rubber. as for c', fw v synthetic rubber-like or elastic organic 't s tions used as substitutes for rubber or the equivs lents oi' rubber. Therefore, in s i the term if rubber-w m the claims-1t 1s w be uno-rettori that this term is intended to comprehend equivalent materials such as a synthetic rubber-like elastic compounds and compositions used as substitutes for an equivalent of rubber.

In addition to the protuherances onvone side and concavities and pocket-like formations on the other side of the panels of the slip-cover, the elastic thread within the panels of theslip-cover also tends to loosen some of the knitted loops of the relatively non-elastic cotton or similar thread, so that these loops will be limp and loose while the panel itself may, as a whole, be taut on the surface covered thereby. This eifect of a tautly stretched panel some of whose knitted body loops of cotton or the like are relatively loose or limp, further tends to create a surface-gripping or surface-adherence effect in relation to the furniture surface covered thereby; these loose or limp cotton loops serving, in effect, as minor anchorages on the furniture surface covered by the panel.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the' spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, we hereby claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

l. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed of a knitted fabric composed of a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough rubber threads interknitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions to form reduced surface contact areas for contact with the surface of the furniture covered.

2. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed of a knitted fabric composed of.a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough rubber threads interknitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions soas to form series of concavities on one side of the slip-cover surface and corresponding protuberances on the other side of the slipcover surface, thereby to resist shifting of the slip-cover upon the furniture.

3. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipl cover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom', formed at least in part of knitted fabric panels composed of a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough' covered-rubber threads inter-knitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions to form reduced surface contact areas for contact with the surface of the furniture covered.

4. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed at least in part of knitted fabric panels composed of a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough covered-rubber threads inter-knitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions so as to form series of concavities on one side of the slip-cover surface and corresponding protuberances on the other side of the slip-cover surface, thereby to resist shifting of the slip-cover upon the furniture. j

5. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed of a knitted fabric composed-of a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough rubber threads interknitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions to form reduced surface contact areas for contact with the surface of the furniturev covered, and leg-encircling elastic edgings affixed to the lower marginal zones of the slipcover-adjacent the legs of the furniture.

6. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed of a knitted fabric composed of a preponderance of soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough rubber threads interknitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions so as to form series of concavities on one side of the slip-cover surface and corresponding protuberances on the other side of the slip-cover surface, thereby to resist shifting of the slip-cover upon the furniture,l and leg-encircling elastic edgings affixed to the lower marginal zones of the slip-cover adjacent the legs of the furniture.

7. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed at least in part of knitted fabric panels composed of a preponderance of relatively soft and relatively non-elastic loops having interspersed therethrough elastic threads interknitted therewith and stretched both Wale-wise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions.

8. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed at least in part of knitted' fabric panels composed of a preponderance of relatively soft and relatively non-'elastic loops having interspersed therethrough elastic threads inter-knitted therewith and stretched both walewise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions to form reduced surface contact areas for contact with the surface of the furniture covered.

9. A ready-made self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed at least in part of knitted fabric panels composed of a preponderanceof relatively soft and relatively non-elastic loops having interspersed therethrough elastic threads inter-knitted therewith and stretched both walewise and course-wise to contract the fabric in two directions so as to form a series of concavities on one side of the slip-cover surface and corresponding protuberances on the other side of the slipcoversurface, thereby to resist shifting of the slip-cover upon the furniture.

10. A ready-made4 self-conforming knitted slipcover for furniture, comprising an encasing cover generally closed at the top and generally open at the bottom, formed at least in part of knitted s asesora fabric panels composed of alternating preponderant groups of courses of knitted loops of a relatively non-elastic textile thread and minor courses of knitted loops formed of relatively elastic thread under tension, with the loops of the relatively non-elastic courses being .dropped at spaced intervals and with the thread of thel relatively non-elastic courses floated in an unknitted condition. at such spaced intervals. through an elastic loop, and with the floated portions of one group of relatively non-elastic courses being staggered in relation to the floated portions .of adjacent groupsof relatively non-elastic courses.

11. A self-conforming slip-cover for furniture such as chairs. sofas and the like, comprising an encasing envelope-like cover including a knitted fabric panel composed of a preponderance of relatively soft cotton yarn loops having interspersed therethrough and interknitted therewith covered-rubber threads tending to contract said panel both wale-wise and course-wise and to make some of the cotton loops relatively loose and limp when so contracted, whereby some of such knitted cotton loops will be loosely disposed against the furniture surface covered while said knitted fabric panel is taut on the furniture surfaces Acovered thereby. so as to cause such panel better to grip the surfaces covered thereby and better to resist shifting on said furniture surface.

12. A self-conforming slip-cover for furniture such as chairs, sofas and the like, which comprises an encaaing envelope-like cover including a knitted fabric panel composed of alternating preponderant sroups of courses of knitted loops of relatively non-elastic textile thread and minor courses of knitted loops interknitted therewith formed of relatively elastic thread alternating with such preponderant groups of courses, with thethreadotcneofthetwokindsofcourses s floated in an unknitted condition through the loops of the other of the two kinds of courses.

and with the oated portions of the thread of some of said float-containing courses staggered 2o in relation to the iioated portions of the thread of other of said float-containing courses.

JOSEPH s Kruisrsov.v :uur u. Komm. 

